Keeping Up: LA Band Name Changes

It's noteworthy how many LA bands have changed their names over the last few months. So far we have:

1. The Afternoons, who are now Shadow Shadow Shade (See them tonight at the Echo at 10pm with The Rhone Occupation)
2. The Jakes, who are now Young the Giant (Eshon's new project is called Backwards Forwards.)
   
3. The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, who are now Walking Sleep (They have the April Echo residency)
   

And new names coming soon . . .

• Aushua, according to Kevin Bronson.
• Castledoor's new incarnation

I will refrain from commenting on the quality of these new names -- my blog is named like a record label.

The Jakes Sign to Roadrunner Records

A big congratulations (and good luck) to The Jakes, who have signed with Roadrunner Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. The band has long been represented by Serling Rooks & Ferrara, a very experienced music law firm located in Union Square in Manhattan.

Signing with a major is not always the best step a band can take (there's no need to recount the numerous tales of successful indie bands who fall on their faces once they jump to a major, or the tales of those who join a major and are then forgotten) and the move is especially interesting in today's climate, where the importance of record labels is fading fast. Nonetheless, hopefully these words from The Jakes regarding their signing turn out to be accurate:

After six months of deliberation and lawyer babble (respectfully, Reid, Mike and David) we have finally signed a record deal with Roadrunner Records, a branch of the Warner tree. To those of you acquainted with Roadrunner’s illustrious past, our signing might come as a bit of a surprise. After decades of multi-platinum success with Music’s rough heavy metal greats such as Megadeth, Dream Theatre, and most recently, Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, and radio titan Nickelback, one may beg the question; why The Jakes? What do we have that likens us to such metal-mongers? The answer is—nothing! A new approach from within Roadrunner A&R department has quelled the steep desire to tread a new musical path in the road of modern “indie” rock, and although such a classification is always ambiguous, it is clear that Roadrunner has no intentions of likening us to their heavy-metal, or contemporary greats. On the contrary, Roadrunner will provide us with a unique blend of artistic license and indie label coziness with Major-label professionalism and distribution, and is unafraid to take the path of innovation. Most importantly, Roadrunner is very passionate about us, and has accepted us into their tight knit family. We are excited to see the products of our pairing, and are looking forward to see our relationship grow. ​

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=4100845&blogId=507415421

The band also announced that keyboardist Ehson Hashemian is no longer with the band. I really enjoyed his live energy.

The Jakes are currently writing their new album. Their next show is at Spaceland on September 7, where they open the first night of Saint Motel's residency. To my knowledge, it's the band's first ever show at Spaceland (and perhaps their first ever in Silverlake/Echo Park). I will undoubtedly be in attendance.

The Jakes' Sunday July Residency

Every Sunday this month The Jakes play Cinespace in Hollywood. Free entry and free vodka between 9:30 and 10:30, and $5 admission after that. Last Sunday The Jakes went on at midnight. I've been a fan of The Jakes since I saw them in April '08 at a KROQ Locals Only show at The Roxy, and Cinespace is a nice change of pace from Silverlake/Echo Park. Catch them at least once this month; it's definitely worth your time.

Here's a couple of videos from their performance at Cinespace in November. I was there, but these aren't my videos.